Way Back When
by I Can Craft-It
Summary: A series of ficlets focusing on Felix and Pauline's (of 'Donkey Kong' fame) past relationship. Set years before Felix met Sergeant Calhoun. These ficlets are not in chronological order.
1. Meeting Pauline

Felix waited on the penthouse balcony just as Gene instructed him to. Sighing, he shook his head, replaying the antics that led up to this in his head. Tonight was his game's 10th anniversary, and lots of characters had come to join in the celebration, including a certain character that Gene and the others were _dying_ for Felix to meet. They had never done anything like this before, and while he felt set-up, he couldn't help but be a little curious as to whom the Nicelanders were getting to meet him outside.

"Hello," a sweet voice came from behind him. Felix turned around, and his eyes went wide at the sight of the woman standing beside him. She had long, curly brown hair and wonderfully full lips, the same color as her red halter dress. _Me oh my,_ was she beautiful.

"G-good evening, ma'am!" the handyman was quick to remove his cap out of politeness, holding it close to his chest.

"It seems that some people really wanted us to meet," she nodded to the glass door behind her; when she did so, a small group of Nicelanders (who had been watching the two of them) scampered away.

"Oh, that's Gene, Mary, and Deanna," Felix explained, putting his hat back on. "They can be a bit pushy… I'm sorry."

The brunette looked him over with her grey eyes, a soft smile playing over her lips as she approached him.

"I'm Pauline, from Donkey Kong," the woman said, leaning on the concrete railing, taking a sip of her wine.

"Oh, Pardon my manners, ma'am! I'm Fix-It Felix Jr., from—well…uh, here," he ended bashfully. "The game we're in right now."

"Fix-It Felix Jr., from the game Fix-It Felix Jr.," Pauline smiled. "Never would have guessed."

Felix chuckled and bowed his head sheepishly.

"Yeah."

The two of them chatted out on the balcony for a while, talking about their games, their jobs, hobbies, favorite colors; they really hit it off, which of course, made all of the Nicelanders excited.

As the two of them laughed at a joke Felix had made, Pauline placed her hand on his wrist, the gesture making him blush. She looked at his face and giggled some more.

"What?" the handyman placed a hand over his cheek, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh honey, you practically glow when you blush, it's adorable," Pauline seemed to pause and think for a moment, and then dove in to give the little 8-bit a peck on the cheek. She practically squealed with delight as she watched the bright red pigment of her lipstick disappear as Felix's blush deepened. "You are just the cutest thing, Fix-It Felix."

The handyman beamed, and glanced into the penthouse; the party seemed to be winding down. Goodness, they had chatted through the entire party!

"Looks like they're getting ready for the last dance," he observed. "W-would you like to join me?" he held out a hand, and Pauline accepted.

"I'd love to."


	2. Unlockable Content

(( This chapter is slightly NSFW ))

* * *

[Years ago…]

"We shouldn't be doing this," said Felix, locking the door behind him.

Pauline snorted, "says the man who's ripping my clothes off," she sighed with pleasure as the handyman's lips peppered her neck.

It started with just one "good night" kiss in the hallway of 'Tapper's;' a light peck from Pauline that lead to another, and another. Now they were here, in the small storage closet, tripping over the 'Lost and Found' box and various cleaning supplies as they frantically grabbed at each other.

Felix pinned Pauline against the wall as he kissed her, his hands traveling from her face to her already exposed breasts, caressing them.

"Gloves off, Feenie," she demanded, wanting to feel the rough skin of his hands against hers. Felix complied, hurriedly removing them and tossing them to the floor before grabbing her again. As his hands roamed her body, Pauline fumbled with his shirt, undoing the buttons and pulling it off. His hands only left her for the moment it took to remove his undershirt. He pulled her close so that their bare chests were touching.

"This is what you do to me," the handyman whispered in her ear. "Every time I see you, I need you."

"I need you too," Pauline replied, kissing him.

Any remaining doubts Felix had were pushed aside as his hand gradually lifted the skirt of her dress as it glided up her inner thigh…

* * *

As Ralph entered the game of 'Tapper's' he heard shuffling coming from the storage closet. The wrecker paused for a moment and watched as the door slowly opened an inch.

"We're clear," a female's vice could be heard inside, and the door flew open, nearly hitting Ralph. Two familiar figures emerged, giggling at each other. Pauline noticed him first.

"Oh! Hi, Ralph," the petit woman waved, biting her lower lip.

"Hey…" the wrecker replied hesitantly.

"Hi, Ralph," Felix said absentmindedly as he fixed his disheveled hair and put his cap back on. Snapping back to reality, the fixer did a double take. "Ralph," he repeated with dread.

He quickly grabbed Pauline's hand and pulled her along with him past Ralph and out of Tapper's, hiding his face with the bill of his cap out of embarrassment. Ralph wouldn't tell anyone, would he? The last thing he and Pauline needed were rumors spreading that they were back together.

When the couple was gone, Ralph stood by himself in silence.

"Nope. Didn't see that. Definitely didn't see that," he resolved, leaving the hallway to drink away the disturbing mental images regarding his colleague from his mind.


	3. Pauline Unplugged

"Pauline!" Felix shouted through the din. As soon as the arcade's doors closed, the handyman ran into commotion within Game Central Station. A sizeable crowd had already surrounded itself around one game's outlet in particular: 'Donkey Kong.'

Having seen what had unfolded through his own game screen, Felix was terrified to find out if the characters had made it out in time or not. But he had to know that _she_ was okay. He continued to call out for her as he cut through the crowd of onlookers.

Finally, he broke into the clearing. Weaving through the last couple of characters, Felix found himself just outside of 'Donkey Kong's' gate, which was now completely empty. The light of the setting sun from the outside world poured through the socket, giving the surrounding area an eerie, orange glow.

"Pauline!" Felix called again; he was getting desperate.

The characters in the center of the clearing, including the Surge Protector, turned to look at him morosely as he approached. His breath hitched, his eyes turning glassy…

"Felix?" a meek voice answered, and Pauline stepped out from behind her dear friend, Donkey Kong. She looked to the handyman with surprise, tears running down her face. "Oh, Felix!"

The two of them ran to each other and embraced the other fiercely. Both of her arms wrapped around his neck, while one of his wrapped around the small of her back, the other at the nape of her neck, his fingers running through her hair. Pauline sobbed into his shoulder and Felix took in a shaky breath, just relieved that she was still here. He did his best to comfort her and held her close as she wept, trying to understand how hard it must be to have one's life turned upside down like hers had just been minutes before. Her job, her game—her life as she knew it—was gone with the simple pull of a plug.

"Oh Felix, it was so awful," Pauline cried. "Everything was collapsing around us… Donkey Kong and I tried to help Mario, but he couldn't go through—he—he's gone, Felix."

Another tragedy had struck the arcade. Felix hadn't known Pauline's Mario well, and even though the general consensus throughout the arcade was that he wasn't a very pleasant man, the loss of a life wasn't common, and it always struck the game community hard. The fellas from 'Asteroids,' Centipede, the folks from 'RoadBlasters' and 'Turbo Time,' and now Mario, the original Jumpman himself, were gone forever.

* * *

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Felix asked her. After things started to calm down in GCS, he and Pauline retreated to their favorite spot within 'Fix-It Felix Jr.,' sitting on a bench that looked out upon the reservoir from underneath a Weeping Willow. The handyman was ready to offer her an apartment on the spot if she had nowhere else to turn. To heck with what Gene would think!

"Our friends, Mario and Peach, offered D.K. and I a place in 'Mario Kart,'" Pauline sighed, "They're such kind people." She placed her petite hand over Felix's.

"I know what you're going to say," she continued. "And you're so sweet, just like always… but we both know that it would cause more problems than it will fix. I don't want to put any more strain between you and the Nicelander's any more than I already have."

Felix opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but after many failed attempts, he let out a sigh of defeat. Oh, how he wished things hadn't gotten so complicated between them.

"I just want to make sure you're taken care of… Even though things didn't work out for us like we hoped, you're still dear to me, Pauline," he said.

"Oh, Feenie," the brunette placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "You're still dear to me too."

He let her rest her head on his shoulder as they watched the moon dance on the surface of the water before them.

"Let's stay like this for a while," Pauline whispered, wanting to forget that today ever happened. She let out a contented sigh and closed her eyes as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, and daydreamed about the things that could have been instead of the way they already were.


	4. Take it Off

(( This chapter is slightly NSFW ))

* * *

Things were getting a bit steamy in the suite belonging to the superintendant of the Niceland apartment building…

Having retreated from the party upstairs early, Felix and Pauline sat on the loveseat beside each other, savoring their newfound privacy. Two, nearly empty glasses of wine sat abandoned on the coffee table as the couple embraced each other, lips joined together.

That first kiss led to another, and another…each one more heated than the last, and Felix was getting bolder with each passing moment. A drastic change from the bundle of nerves he was only but a few minutes ago.

Pauline did that to him, he thought. She made him feel things he'd never felt before about anyone, and tonight, he was losing himself in the best way possible.

Pauline kept the encouragements coming, gentle tugging on the front of his shirt, tussling his hair, gasps and sounds of pleasure escaping her lips when he touched her just right. Her breaths grew heavier as his hand explored lower, pushing up her skirt as it glided against her thigh.

"Just take it off," the brunette panted.

"P-pardon?" Felix pulled away, a heavy blush lying over his face, marking the return of the cute, innocent, jittery little handyman she loved.

"You heard me," Pauline smirked, leaning to whisper in his ear. " _Take. It. Off_."

The sensation of her lips against his ear made Felix shudder, and he gulped as Pauline reached behind her neck to untie the top of her crimson halter dress. Tentatively, he bunched up her skirt, and lifted the dress up and over her head.

Oh…oh my, was she _stunning…_

"Enjoying the view?"

…And he had been staring.

Felix blinked and looked up at his lady's amused face, his 8-bit heart throbbing in his chest. He noticed things were starting to get a little tight down below as well...

"You are so beautiful," he said lowly, bending forward to pepper kisses along her neck, eliciting a moan.

His confidence returning, Felix leaned over her, propping himself up with one arm while the other cupped one of her bare breasts. As he caressed her, Pauline couldn't help but fall into a fit of giggles.

"Feenie!" she gasped.

"Hm?" the dazed handyman purred into the crook of her neck as he continued his ministrations.

"You have hands under those gloves, don't you?"

"Oh sorry, sorry," broke from his trance, smiling sheepishly.

Whenever the couple got a bit touchy-feely, Felix always had to be told to take off his gloves, but Pauline supposed she'd cut him some slack for forgetting this time. He was practically intoxicated, and it wasn't because of the wine.

Pauline didn't mind the feel of the soft leather against her skin; but she just wanted to feel _him._

She bit her lip as she watched him fumble with his hands.

"As a matter of fact," Pauline said, helping him remove his second glove. "Why don't we make our way to the bed, and you can lose everything else."

She kissed his nose, and Felix almost seemed to float as she took his hand in hers, leading him off the couch and into the bedroom.

"Yes ma'am," he cooed.

Pauline was the first to wake the next morning.

With a contented sigh, she rolled over to face her little handyman, watching him as he slept. After a few moments, Pauline pushed up onto her elbows to see the time on Felix's alarm clock on his bedside table.

10am. The arcade would be opening in two hours.

Gently, Pauline pressed a kiss to the side of Felix's nose and smiled as he stirred. Yawning, the handyman stretched, turning to look at her through bleary eyes.

"Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?" he smiled.

The brunette laughed, leaning over him, her hair cascading over her shoulders as she pressed her lips to his.

"I think you know the answer to _that_ , junior."

"Boy, do I." Felix cupped her cheek as they kissed again.


	5. Donkey Kong

Felix paused a moment to take a look around when he stepped inside the cabinet of Pauline's game. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he surveyed the large construction site at the center first. The superintendent in him wondered just what kind of building was supposed to be built here before it became off-kilter heap of structural steel it was now.

…This game was quiet (almost a little to quiet for the handyman's liking) and had very little atmosphere. No stars in the sky, no clouds; just a complete covering of black. It was so… empty. It started to make Felix feel uneasy.

Per Pauline's instructions a couple of evenings before, Felix looked to the left, finding a small set of houses off-screen, and he walked up to the first one on the block. He admired the farmer's style porch as he stepped up onto it, and could help but inspect the support beams after knocking on the front door. It reminded him a lot of his Nana's house.

Felix heard the door open, and turned, removing his cap with a smile…only to be met with a grimace and a growl. Practically leaping out of his pixels, the handyman gawked upwards at no one other than Donkey Kong himself. He was a large, and intimidating character much like Ralph, only hairier.

"H-Howdy, Mr. Kong." Felix stammered. "Is Pauline home?"

The ape leaned threateningly over Felix, another growl emanating from his throat. The handyman gulped

"My n-name is Fix-It Felix J-jr., she's expecting me," the little hero eased backwards as the creature inched closer. "Does…Pauline live here?" he questioned, gesturing to the house in front of him. "Does she even live on this block?" Felix laughed nervously, retreating down the steps, ready to make a break for it.

"Wait!" Pauline's small frame emerged from behind Donkey Kong, hugging the ape's arm. "It's alright, D.K. Felix is a very good friend of mine."

Kong smiled, and patted Pauline on the head before shooting Felix another glare.

"Now go on! Go on, good D.K.," the brunette waved as the ape walked off in the direction of the construction site.

The handyman removed his cap and ran his fingers through his hair as relief washed over him. Boy, that was…terrifying.

"Oh sweetie, " Pauline's voice was laced with concern as she approached her date. "You look scared out of your pixels, I'm sorry."

"Oh, I-I'm fine. Are _you_ alright?" Felix took hold of one of her hands.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Wh—He was _in your house_."

"Yeah."

Yeah? Felix was a little taken aback at that response; confused as to how nonchalant she was about it. If Ralph were to enter a Nicelander's home back in 'Fix-it Felix Jr.', there would be a panic!

"B-but… you aren't afraid of him?"

Realization alighted Pauline's face, as she finally understood where Felix's concern was coming from.

"Oh, he's not so bad after work hours. He's gentle, really," she explained. The both of them watched as the ape threw a leftover barrel off the top of the construction site, it splintering into a hundred pieces on the ground.

"Gentle…yeah," the handyman sounded unconvinced, but he wasn't condescending.

"He's good, Felix. You'll see," Pauline gave the hero a peck on the cheek. "I promise he'll be better behaved the next time you visit." Intertwining her fingers with his, she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Everyone would see, someday.


	6. Breaking Point

Felix stepped off the dance floor, despite the Deanna and Nell's pleas for him to stay.

"I'll be back later, ladies," he assured them. He was expecting Pauline soon, so the handyman decided to take a bit of time to grab a drink and chat with some folks before her arrival.

As he passed by the double door to the balcony, which was propped open, the 8-bit hero heard a voice call out to him. It was Sonic, and he appeared to be a bit concerned about something.

"You might want to see this," the hedgehog pointed passed the railing and to the ground below. When Felix looked, he practically jumped out of his pixels.

Approaching the apartment building was Pauline, followed by her surprise companion, Donkey Kong.

"Oh no," Felix muttered, setting down his drink, he swiftly turned around and weaved his way through the crowd of the party. "No, no, no, no, no…" he continued, rapidly pressing the call button for the elevator the moment he made it into the empty hallway. The doors slid open and the handyman shuffled inside with a sigh, not looking forward the conversation that was to come. As the lift started its descent, Felix took a deep breath inward, placing a hand of his rapidly beating heart. In the periphery of his vision he could see the walls on either side of him moving closer, but he did his best to ignore it.

And as the elevator approached its destination, Felix pulled out a key and slid it into its designated slot underneath the control panel. Turning it, a small alarm rang and the doors opened to reveal a surprised Pauline.

"Felix, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Making sure no one else comes up or down this elevator," Felix said as he set the lift to service mode. "Pauline, you need to go and take Donkey Kong back home," he commanded, nodding to the door.

"No," the petit woman clicked a heel on the tile floor, her stance resolute. "I'm going to show Gene and the others once and for all that he isn't like they say he is."

"I know what you're trying to do," Felix gently placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes pleading her to reconsider. "But please _trust_ me when I tell you that this is only going to make things worse. I don't want any more trouble."

Pauline looked hurt. "I thought you believed me," she said. "Just because D.K. is a bad guy during hours doesn't mean he's like that all the time. We didn't come to start trouble!"

"I know that," Felix was exasperated at this point. " _He's_ not particularly the one I'm worried about—"

"What is going on here?"

Felix turned around, the feeling of dread crashing over him. The mayor of Niceland stood in the doorway of the stairwell, his eyes scrutinizing the scene before him. So much for trying to keep anyone from coming downstairs…

"Gene," Felix began quietly.

"And what is that _thing_ doing here?" the mustachioed man jutted a stubby finger to Donkey Kong.

"He is _not_ a thing!" Pauline interjected.

The argument suddenly sounded far away to the handyman as he clasped his hands, eyes darting to the surrounding walls. Were they getting closer? No, it's just in your head, it's _just_ —

"—I don't remember sending _you_ an invitation."

" _Felix_ invited me!"

The sound of Pauline shouting his name snapped the handyman out of his impending panic, and he stepped between her and Gene. From the corner of his eye Felix saw that some other, curious Nicelanders had arrived, their heads peeking in from the safety of the stairwell.

"Let's all just _calm down_ ," he suggested.

"I am _not_ calming down!" Gene pushed the handyman's outstretched arm away. "Pauline, I am going to finally tell you _exactly_ what's been on my mind."

"You don't do that enough?" the woman retorted, hands on her hips.

"Setting you up with Felix was one of the _biggest_ mistakes the Nicelanders and I have ever made! We thought that you were a nice girl, but little did we know that you were nothing but a Stockholm syndrome riddled tramp!"

Pauline gasped.

"Gene!" Felix was horrified and angered by what had just come out of the Mayor's mouth. And he wasn't the only one...

A loud growl filled the room and all eyes shifted to Donkey Kong.

"D.K., No!" Pauline shouted as the ape raised a large, hairy hand and brought it down towards the offending Nicelander.

Felix was able to move Gene out of harms way, but in doing so, ended up in that position himself, as Donkey Kong's fingers wrapped tightly around his body and lifted him in the air.

With the wind practically knocked out of him, the handyman struggled to get free; his anxiety sent pouring over the edge when he found himself helplessly trapped in the ape's clutches.

Sent into a full panic, Felix screamed, and Donkey Kong dropped him immediately. Everyone in the room stood in stunned silence while the handyman clutched his chest, breathing heavily has he sat on his knees. No one had seen the hero look so debilitated.

"Now look what you've done!" Gene shouted, getting in the woman's face. "That monkey of yours is nothing but trouble!"

"No!" Pauline was close to tears. "H-he was just trying to protect me!" She looked to Felix, who stared back at her with nothing but disappointment and sadness. "Feenie—"

"Please…Just leave," he said between calming breaths. "I'll come by later."

Pauline opened her mouth, looked around at all the wide-eyed Nicelanders (and Gene's scowl), and closed it. Patting Donkey Kong's arm, she ushered the ape towards the door.

"Come on, big guy. Let's go home," she said tearfully as they left.

* * *

A few hours later, there was a soft knock at Pauline's door, and she slowly got up from the couch to answer it. On the other side was Felix, and he looked exhausted.

"Oh honey," Pauline said mournfully. "You look so tired."

"It's been a long night," he replied simply with a small smile.

"No," the brunette cupped the handyman's face in her hands. "Its not just tonight. You've been tired a long time now…and it's all my fault."

She burst into tears, burying her face into his chest. Felix wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"It's not your fault, darlin'," he comforted her.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I know it wasn't right, but D.K. was just protecting me in the only way he knew how. I'm sorry he hurt you…He didn't mean it."

"I know," Felix kissed her on the forehead.

The couple made their way to the couch at some point in the night. It all was a haze to Pauline, as she had a lot on her mind. Felix rested his back on the arm of the sofa as she lay on top of him, their limbs intertwining. Sighing, she listened to the steady beat of the fixer's heart and savored the feeling of him absentmindedly stroking her hair.

"Felix," she began timidly.

"Mm?" he hummed.

"Maybe we should take a break," she looked up into the handyman's eyes when he paused his ministrations. "At least until things cool down with the Nicelanders. Things with them have been…stressful."

"If that's what you want," his voice quavered. "I understand…they've been really awful to you lately."

Felix's eyes grew glassy as he continued. "I've tried talking to them, but they just—"

"I know, sweetie," Pauline kissed him on the cheek, getting teary-eyed again herself. "I don't want to create more of a rift between you and them than I feel I already have."

"I love you, Pauline," Felix said, returning her kiss.

"And I love you too," she replied. She sat up on the couch, her hand sliding down the handyman's arm to entangle her fingers with his. "But I think parting, at least for now, would be the best for both of us."

Felix moved to sit beside her, their clasped hands lying in the space between them. The two of them glanced at each other silently, both understanding deep down, they may never reunite as a couple after tonight.

After a few more beats of excruciating silence, Felix nodded solemnly and slowly removed his hand from Pauline's.

"I guess I should be going then," he sniffed. Standing, he sauntered to the door and opened it to let himself out. "G'bye, Paulie."

"Goodbye, Felix."


End file.
